Tournament Rules

2026 USAU Rules

We will be using the USAU 2026-2027 ruleset for this tournament. These are mostly the rules you know and love, but there are some changes which you can find explained by USAU here and by Ultiworld here.

Game Format

All games are to 15. Each team has 2 timeouts per half.

Game Start

Game start will be indicated by one long horn blast. Rule 9.K.2 applies as if the previous goal was scored when the horn blew.

Half Cap — 40 Minutes

Indicated by one shorter blast followed by one longer blast. If the halftime target has not been reached, finish the current point. Then add one (1) to the higher score to set the new halftime target.

Half Time — 7 Minutes

At the end of half time, Rule 9.K applies for restarting play.

Soft Cap — 80 Minutes

Indicated by two shorter blasts followed by one longer blast. If no team has scored 15 points, finish the current point then add one (1) to the higher score to establish the new game target.

Hard Cap — 90 Minutes

Indicated by three long blasts. Finish the current point. If the game is tied, play one more point.

The current point begins when a point is scored. Caps do not affect the number of timeouts a team has.

Spirit of the Game

Spirit of the Game is a set of principles which places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the three core tenets: mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed-upon rules, and the basic joy of play.

Recommendations

Designate Spirit Captains who meet with opposing team captains before the game and check in at halftime.
Hold a spirit circle after the game and mingle! This tournament brings many teams you might not play against often.

Things to Keep in Mind

It is assumed that no player will intentionally violate the rules — rules primarily exist to resume play in a way that negates the effect of the infraction.
All players will have a bias. Asking teammates or sideline players for perspective is a great way to reduce bias. Focus discussions on finding the truth of what happened.
Try to resolve disputes quickly — around 30 seconds. If no agreement can be reached, accept the call as contested and resume play.
All players are expected to know and understand the rules. Review them before the tournament, especially the new changes.
Serious issues with misconduct can be brought to the Tournament Directors. Observers will also be present.

Playing With Observers

We plan to have enough observers for three observed games per round, with good coverage across teams and divisions. If this is your first time playing with observers:

Observers' primary purpose is to assist players in upholding Spirit of the Game by keeping the game moving and intervening when necessary.
Observers will actively track and announce stall counts using hand signals. Games will generally be faster paced.
Active calls observers make: time limits and boundary calls (in/out-of-bounds, goals, offsides, false starts). These are called immediately.
For other calls, players are still encouraged to resolve without observers. If requested, the observer's ruling is final.
Observers will issue misconduct sanctions as necessary.
For observed games, there will be a buffer space lined on the sideline for observers. Keep this space clear of bags, chairs, etc.

Score Reporting

All scores should be reported as soon as possible in the Ultimate Tournament App. There should be a post or scoreboard at your field with a QR code that takes you directly to the score reporter. You can also navigate to it in the app or message the TD / post in the captains chat.

The app also allows for in-game score reporting and basic stat-taking.

Mixed Division Rules

Determining the Ratio (ABBA)

All Mixed games use the "prescribed ratio" rule in Appendix B1.B:

At the start of the game, after the first disc flip, an additional flip happens with the winner selecting the gender ratio for the first point. For the 2nd and 3rd points the ratio must be the reverse. For the 4th and 5th points it returns to the first. This ABBA pattern alternates every two points until the end of the game. Half time does not impact the pattern.

Majority Pull Rule

Each point, a player representing the gender with four players on the field must pull for that point. If there are four women-matching players, a woman-matching player must pull.

Insufficient Players

If a team cannot match the on-field personnel ratio with all seven players, it must play with fewer than seven (but no less than 5), matching the personnel ratio with as many players as possible.

Violations

Personnel Ratio Violation (Appendix B1.G): Handled as described in Rule 9.C.1.
Majority Pull Violation (Appendix B3.A.2): Handled the same as an offsides/false start violation (Rule 9.D.4). After the first violation, subsequent violations follow Rule 9.D.4.c. Accumulates separately from offsides violations.

Substitutions

When a team substitutes a player, the player coming on must be the same gender match as the player going off. When this allows the other team to substitute, that team's substitution must also swap the same gender match for their own sub, but does not need to match the other team's gender swap.